Refrigerating-machine.



R. N. DYER.

REFRIGERATING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED 1113.4, 1907.

@Qfifi'o Patented Dec. 7, 1909.

o Q11 0 o In ventor UNITED STATES" PATENT OFFICE.

Y RICHARD N. DYER, OF EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY.

REFRIGEBATTQN'G MACHINE.

To all whom it may concern: N

Be it known that I, RICHARD N. DYER, a citizen of the United States,residing in East Orange, Essex county, New Jersey, have invented acertain new and useful Improvement in Refrigerating -Machines, of whichthe following is a description.

My invention relates to refrigerating machines, wherein a vacuum ismaintained in a brine reservoir and the water vapor boiled from thebrine is absorbed by an absorbent solution such as caustic potash, fromwhich the water is distilled, condensed and returned to the brine.

"The object of the invention is to make machines of this class moreautomatic, con-- trollable, certain and eflicient in action.

The'inventio'n consists in the various features and combinations ofparts hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawing, Figure 1 is a vertical section and partial elevationshowing the general structural elements of the machine; Figs. 2, 3 and 4are views similar to Fig. 1 showing diiferent forms of the connectionsbetween the condenser and the brine reservoir; and Fig. 5 is a sectionalview showing the automatic valve for admitting air to the higherpressure part of the apparatus, 2'. e., the still and condenser.

A is the refri erating .cham'ber, B the brine reservoir, C? the absorberand D the still, as usual in machines of this class.

E is the pump for withdrawing the potash solution and entrapped airbubbles from the absorber through the drop tube 7 F is the air trap atwhich the air isseparated from the potash solution and discharged fromthe apparatus. The potash solution is returned to the still through thepipe 8 forming the outer pipe of a double pipe heat exchanger G. Theconcentrated potash solution flows from the still through pipes 9forming the inner pipe of the ex-' changer G and rising to the top ofthe absorber into which the solution is discharged, the difference inlevel maintainin the difference in pressure between the sti l and abstill and receives the water vapor therefrom.

The outer pipe-of the condenser is connected with the water circulatingpipe 10 as are also the cooling pipes 11 in the absorber.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented-Dec. 7, 1909.

Application filed February 4, Serial No. 355,542.

For simplicity of illustration theconnections of the water circulationwith the absorber pipes 11 and the condenser I are not carried out inthe drawing. The direction of the, water circulationis shown by arrowswith barbs only while the circulation of the absorbent solution is shownby arrows with barbs and feathers. The water vapor from the stillpassing through -the rectifying coil K enters the inner pipe of thecondenser I,

from which water of condensation is carried by a pipe 12 to the pipe 13depending from the brine reservoir, so as to form a hydrostatic column,maintaining by means of the entrapped air in the pipe 12 the differencein pressure between the brine reservoir on the one hand and the stilland condenser on the other hand.

The water vapor fromthe brine in the reservoir B passes into theabsorber C, Where it is absorbed by the potash solution flowing downover the cooling pipes 11 which carry off the heat. The potash solutionis tilled from the potash solution in the still D is condensed in thecondenser I and returned to the brine through the pipes 12, 13.

It has been found that in machines of this class it may be desirableunder certain circumstances to admit air to the higher pressure portionof the apparatus, 11. e., the still-and the condenser, and one .featureof the invention consists in accomplishing this automatically by theautomatic valve L about to be described. Two diaphragms 14,,

15, which may be made of thin metal, and

are supported in shells 16, 17, are connected" together by a rod 18which has oppositely screw-threaded ends engaging nuts. secured to thediaphragms so that the diaphragms can be drawn together under the propertension. The shell 16 is connected by a pipe 19 with the lower pressurepart of the apparatus, 2'. e., the brine reservoir and absorber. Thisconnection may be conven- -ientlym'ade to the pipe 20 which carries thevapor from the brine into the absorber.

The shell 17 is connected by pipe 21 with the higher pressure portion ofthe apparatus, 2'. 6., the still and condenser. This connection may beconveniently made to the top of the pipe 12. A pivoted lever 22,carrying at one end an adjustableweight 23 and at its other end a valve24, engages on the weight side of'its pivot with a nut carried by therod 18 connecting the diaphragms and-adjustable thereon. The valve 24closes a minute opening in a soft rubber block 26, which is connected bya pipe 27 With the shell 17.

It will be seen that in this apparatus the diaphragms 14 and 15 arebalanced against air pressure and are affected equally by, and aretherefore independent of, changes in-the barometric pressure. Thepressure back of the diaphragm 14-is that of the lower pres-- sureportion of the apparatus, which, being exceedingly low, may be regardedas zero pressure, while the pressure back of the diaphragm 15 is that ofthe higher pressure portion of the apparatus which is ordinarily equalto about two inches of mercury. The difference in pressures on the two"diaphragms, when the apparatus is working normally, is suflicientlybalanced by the adjustable weight 23 to enable the Valve 24 to close theopening in the rubber block 26 air tight. Should, however, the pressurein the condenser and still fall below the normal pressure the weight 23will overcome the upward thrust of the diaphragm 15 and will lift thevalve 24 sufficiently to allow air to leak in minute quantities throughthe pipe 27 into the shell 17 and thence by the pipe 21 into the higherpressure portion of the apparatus. As soon as the normal conditions areestablished the pressure upon the diaphragm 15 will overcome the weight23 and will close the air leak at the valve 24. The movement of thevalve .24 to accomplish the opening and closing of the leak which itcontrols, is exceedingly slight, and consequently a very slight movementof the diaphragms, such as can be secured with metal diaphragms, isadequate.

Another feature of the invention consists .-in providing means wherebythe height of the hydrostatic column, through which the water ofcondensation from the still is returned to the brine, may be varied toenable the apparatus to work most economically with circulation water.of difierenttemperatures. If the circulation water is warm it isnecessary to maintain a greater air pressure in the pipe 12 andcondenser I in order to and the still is dependent upon the height ofthe brine column through which the water is returned to the brine.Hence, to work the apparatus at the maximum economy it is necessary thatthe height of this brine column should be capable of being changed, as

the temperature of the circulation water changes from season to.sea'son. To do this I provide the brine leg 13 with two or more taps28, extending through the side wall of the refrigerator A and providedwith means for closing their outer ends, such as the cocks 29 shown inthe drawing. With one of these taps 28 is connected the flexible pipe30, which may bea length of flexible pressure hose and which may besecured to the end of the tap 28 in any suitable way. The point at whichthis pipe 30 is connected with the brine leg determines the height ofthe hydrostatic column which maintains the air pressure in the condenserand still. The preferred arrangement of the parts is that illustrated inFig. 2 in which the ipe 12 from the condenser enters the top 0 a floatchamber 31, containing a float 32 which closes an opening in the bottomof the chamber 31 connected by a pipe 33 with the brine reservoirsufliciently below the surface of the brineto prevent the freezing ofthe water in the pipe 33. The water of condensation collects in thechamber 31 until the float 32 rises and opens the passage into the pipe33, when the water flows into the brine reservoir under the control ofthe float 32. With the top of the chamber 31 isconnected the flexiblepipe 30, which in this case is an air pipe only, and the point at whichthe pipe 30 is connected with the brine leg 13 controls the pressure ofthe air in the pipe 30 and consequently the pressure in the condenserand still. When the pipe 30 .is changed from a lower to a higher pointof connection with the brine leg 13 the slack in the pipe 30 must bedrawn upwardly, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2.

.To change the pipe 30 from one of the taps 28 to another withoutdestroying thevacuum in the apparatus it is only necessary to put apinch cock on the lower end of the pipe 30 and to close it by thatmeans, when the cock in the tap with which the pipe 30 is connected canbe closed, and the pipe 30 then removed from that tap and secured toanother tap, after which'the pinch cock will be removed and the valve ofthe latter tap opened.

-A modification of the arrangement is lllustrated in Fig. 3 in which thewater ofcondensation is returned to the brine by means of a pipe 34extending below the lower end of the brine leg 13 and .upwardly intosuch brine leg, while the flexible air pipe 30 is connected to the pipe12 at its junction with the pipe-34 and has a length suflicient toenable it to be connected with any one of the taps 28 from the brine leg13; or, as shown in Fig. 4, the flexible pipe 30 can be used both tocontrol the air pressure and to return the water of condensation to thebrine reservoir.

lVhat I claim, is: I

. 1. In a refrigerating machine of the class described, ,the combinationwith the still and condenser, of automatic means for supplying air tothe still and condenser when trolled by the pressure in the still andcon-' denser for supplying air to the still and condenser, and means forbalancing said valve against barometric pressure, substantially as setforth.

4. In a refrigerating machine of the class described, the combinationwith the? still and condenser, of an automatic valve controlled by thepressure in the still and condenser and balanced against the barometricpressure for supplying air'to the still and condenser, substantially as-'set forth.

Ina refrigerating machine of the class described, the combination withthe still and condenser, of anautomatic valve controlled by differencesin pressure between the higher and lower pressure portions of theapparatus and operating to supply air to the higher pressure portion ofthe apparatus, substantially as set forth.

6. In a refrigerating machine of the class described, the combinationwith the still and condenser, of an automatic valve having twodiaphragms connected together and each subject to the barometricpressure onone s de and on the other side subjectrespectively to thepressure of thehigher and lower pressure portions of the apparatus, andmeans operated by the movement of the diaphragms to open and close anair leak into the higher pressure portion of the apparatus,substantially as set forth.

7 In a refrigerating machine of the class described, the combinationwith the still, condenser and brine reservoir, of an air pressureconnection between the still and condenser on the one hand and the brinereservoir on the other hand, and means for making this connection atdifferent distances below the brine level in the reservoir, whereby theair pressure in'the still and condenser may be adjusted to differenttemperatures -of circulation water, substantially as set forth.

8. In a refrigerating machine of the class described, the combinationwith the still, condenser and brine reservoir, of a flexible pipeconnection between the condenser and the brine reservoir, and means formaking this connection at different distances below the brine level inthe reservoir, substantially as set forth.

9. In a refrigerating machine of the class described, the combinationwith the still,

condenser and brine reservoir, of means for returning the water ofcondensation from the condenser to the brine reservoir withoutdisturbing the difference in pressure, an air pipe connecting thecondenser and brine reservoir, and means for making the latterconnection at different distances below the brine level in thereservoir, substantially as set forth. I

10. In arefrigerating machine of the class described, the combinationwith the still, condenser and brine reservoir, of a connection from thecondenser to the brine reservoir for returning thewater of condensationto the brine, a float controlling the flow of the water into the brineso as not to disturb the difference in pressure, an air pipe connectingthe condenser and brine reservoir, and means for-making the latterconnection at different distances below the brine level in thereservoir, substantially as set forth.

This specification signed and witnessed this second day of February,1907.

' RICHARD N. DYER. lVitnesses: y

'- JOHN S. Lo'rsorr,

JNo. Ron'r. TAYLOR.

